Sun Nov 11 - Over Montagu Pass - Bucket List South Africa

Sun Nov 11 - Over Montagu Pass

The X-ray of Tim’s broken collar bone explanation below.

Well today was a real challenge due to the ride and the heat. We rode from George to Oudtshoorn over the Montagu Pass. We rode 63km but 50km were on dirt roads that at times were great but at other times there were very bumpy with big stones. The total climbing for the day was about 3300ft. The big climb was about 10km but the middle 2km were between 13-15%. At this point I was walking because I was going so slow that I was afraid of falling. Tim is on an e-bike because he broke his collar bone 3 weeks ago so when he saw that I was walking he sent the e-bike back with the guide so I could ride up closer to the top. I have to tell you it was good fun. Once at the top we mostly descended but there were some rollers and more bad road. Nonetheless you would never see what we saw on a road bike. Once at the top the vegetation changed completely as we entered the small Karoo a semi-desert with temperatures today of 38C/100F. This is mighty hot for us northern hemisphere folk. The large Karoo is on the other side of the north mountain range. Sadly as we road the pass you could see the damage from the recent fire including a very popular coffee shop for cyclists. We are staying for 2 nights at this amazing 4* guest house complete with a beautiful pool. Our dinner was outstanding.

Lessons learned today for me were that riding 63km on a mountain bike on roads like these with over 3000’ of climbing is like riding double that on a road bike. I also learned from the short stretch on Tim’s e-bike that if I ever do anything like this again I will be on an e-bike. This is fun but too much work for the old girl.

An old black and white photo of the climb today and yes it is still a dirt road.

The 2 of us at our lunch stop in the Karoo.

Looking back on what we climbed and the fire.

Image not found :( — A view from almost the top.

We bought the jerseys and Tim is modelling his.

After the ride a pool and a beer how bad can that be.

We shared a bottle of SA champagne with our new friends.

The starter salad with olive tampenade and marscapone on a small piece of bread.

My ostrich dinner complete with lots of vegetables. Delicious!

Our wine with dinner. Red goes best with ostrich.

Today's ride: 63 km (39 miles)
Total: 166 km (103 miles)

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Carol DunlopLooks and sounds like a very tough day. Beers and a swim well deserved.
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5 years ago

Margaret KavanaghIndeed they were. Also now that I have figured out the website and have good internet I do like this website.
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5 years ago